The Big Canoe Woodworkers Club started the festive season by giving big. On the first day of the annual Pickens County, Ga., Toys for Tots campaign, the club gave 100 handmade wooden puzzles to the program. Participants made the puzzles under the guidance of fellow member Brian Beals of Pickens Puzzles LLC. Other club members donated wood for the puzzles.

The project began last year, when Beals, a puzzle designer, donated 30 handmade puzzles to Toys for Tots. “They were well received,” he said. “This year I decided to get our community’s woodworking club involved and set a goal of 100 puzzles. … We started cutting in August and were able to complete 100 puzzles by November 10, the date our local Toys for Tots program officially opened for donations.”

Club members made puzzles with non-choking pieces for children under 3 years of age and more difficult puzzles for older children.

Because club members have diverse interests and at the request of the Toys for Tots program, said Brian, “We hope to expand our efforts next year to make wooden toys in addition to puzzles.”

The Big Canoe Woodworkers Club was formed in July 2015 with eight members and has now grown to 40 members. Big Canoe is a private residential community in the North Georgia mountains. The club meets monthly and is involved with all aspects of woodworking. Most of the club members are retired and represent diverse backgrounds: firemen, architects, engineers, chemists, etc. Woodworking interests are diverse, as well; members make furniture, wall clocks, boxes, bowls, cutting boards, model train exhibits, and, of course, puzzles. To learn more about the club, contact the club’s chairman Terry Nicholson or Brian Beals.

Toys for Tots became an official project of the U.S. Marine Corps in 1948. The organization has distributed more than 17 million toys to underprivileged children. For more information or to find your local program, visit www.toysfortoys.org.